Bow-facing oar.



PATBNTED DBG. 17, 1907.

H. PLINT.

' BOW FAGING OAR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26. 1907.

Il uw fr Iao HENRY FLINT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BOW-FACING` OAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1'7, 1907.

Application filed February 26.1907. Serial No. 359,497.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY FLINT, a citizen of the United States, andresident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Bow Facing Oars, of which the following is aspeciiication.

My invention relates to an improvement in bow-facing oars, and consistsof the novel arrangement, construction and combination of parts as willbe fully hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of my invention is to construct an oar whereby the boat maybe propelled in a forward movement by the same arm movement andpositionof the oarsman as used in rowing a boat with a common set'of oars.

A further obj ect of my invention is to construct an oar composed of twosections so fulcrumed as to operate the paddle of the oar in the samemovement with the arm of the oarsman.

A still further object of my invention is to construct an oar composedof two sections -and suitably fulcrumed -so that during the operationthe blade or paddle portion of the oar will automatically feather itselfduring the movement of the oar.

Referring to the drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective view of my completeinvention, shown in position upon the gunwale of the boat. Fig. 2 is acentral, vertical, sectional view. Fig. 3 is a central, cross-sectionalview through the oar members with the supporting plate removed. Fig. 4is a detail sectional view of a portion of the oar and oarsocket takenon the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5. is a cross-sectional view of the sametaken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

In the construction of my invention, I provide a base-plate 6 which isarranged to be rigidly attached to the gunwale of a boat by means ofscrews or the like passing through the openings 7. In each end of thebaseplate I provide a yprojecting bolt 8 on the threaded portion ofwhich is placed a thumbnut 9. Upon the base-plate I adjustably mount asupporting-plate 10, which acts as an oarsocket and is provided with apair of upwardly projecting slotted members 11. The said plate isprovided with curvilinear projecting ends 12 in which are locatedcurvilinear slots 13, and through said slots project the bolts 8 wherebysaid supporting plate may be adjustably heldin position by thetightening of the thumb-nuts 9.

I/Vithin the slotted projecting members 11 is swingingly mounted a plate14 which has a central elongated slot 15 and a pair of projectingtrunnions 16. Upon said plate are pivotally connected by means of bolts17 and 18 a pair of bifurcated arms 19 and 20, each of which beingprovided with sockets 21 and 22. The ends 23 of the bifurcated arms areprovided with slots 24 and said ends are arranged to overlap one anotherand through the slots 24 and the slot 15 in the plate 14 is passed asleeve 25 through which is passed a bolt 26 whereby the said slottedarms are held together. The said bifurcated arms are pivotally held inposition upon the plate 14 by the bolts 17 and 18 and around said boltsare also placed sleeves 27 to relieve friction while the said arms arebeing manipulated.

In the socket 21 is inserted one end of the oar 28 and in order toprevent unnecessary friction, I place upon the oar 28 a sleeve 29, andin said sleeve I insert a pin 30 the said pin projecting through theslot 31 formed in the socket 21, and the object of which is to permitsuflicient movement to the oar in order that the blade or paddle portionof the oar may feather itself while idly. passing over the water.

In the socket 22 I insert a handle 32 by which motion is imparted to theoar mechanism. In the bifurcated arm 2O and in the plate 14 I provideholes 33 in which may be inserted a pin 34, the object of this is toretain both sections of the oar in rigid alinement when it is desired toremove the same, together with the plate from the oar socket.

The plate 14 is held in position within the slots of the projectingmembers 11 by means of the hooks 35 and said hooks are arranged to bereadily swung out of contact with the trunnions 16 when desired.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The device is placed inposition upon the gunwale of a boat as shown in Fig. 1, and can bereadily adjusted to accommodate the oarsman by means of the thumb-nuts 9and the slotted ends 12, and by such adjustment a desired angle can beobtained to regulate the movement of the blade section of the oar, sothat a proper rowing result may be obtained. The oarsman is seated inthe boat facing the bow, and by pulling upon the handle 32 of each ofthe oars, the blade section of the oar is brought in contact with thewater and moves in the same direction as the handle section. The propertilting of the oar to limit the movement of the blade within the wateris permitted by the tilting of the plate 14, and by the backwardmovement of the blade section and by the arrangement of the slot 3l inthe socket 2l, the blade, when contacting with the water on its idlemotion, will automatically feather itself and immediately upon againbeing thrust into the water to propel the boat, the force of the waterwill again straighten the blade.

By this construction, the oarsman can row the boat in a forward movementby a pulling action upon the oar handles and at all times facing themovement of the boat.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A bow-facing oar composed of two sections, a slotted tilting plate,each section pivoted on a line central to the slot and so fulcrumed asto move both sections in the same direction, so that a boat can bepropelled in the facing direction of the oarsman by a pulling motion,substantially as specified.

2. A device of the class described comprising a plate tiltingly mountedin an oar socket, hooks for retaining the same in position, a pair ofarms fulcrumed upon said plate, their ends adjustably connectedtogether, each of said arms provided with sockets, in the socket of oneof said arms is placed a paddle section, in the socket of the other armis placed a handle whereby motion may be imparted tb the paddle sectionand operated in the same direction as the handle section, the socketcontaining the paddle section provided with a slot for permittinglateral movement to the paddle and means for adjusting the entiremechanism upon the gunwale of a boat, substantially as specified.

3, A device of the class described comprising a slotted supporting plateadjustably mounted upon the gunwale of a boat, a tilting plate supportedby the supporting plate, a pair of bifurcatcd arms pivotally connectedto the plate, the ends of said arms provided with elongated slots', thetilting plate provided with an elongated slot through which is passed asleeve and bolt whereby the ends of the arms are connected, a paddleconnected to one of said arms and a handle to the other of said arms,and means for retaining both of said arms in rigid position whendesiring to remove the same from the supporting plate, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof, l have signed my name to this specification, inpresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY FLNT. Vitnesses:

. ALFRED A. ErcKs, WALTER C. STEIN.

